PROHIBITED SCIENTIFIC TERMS
Editor’s Note: In this piece, Archie Caride (‘19) compellingly explains why certain terms like “fact”, “true”, “proven”, and “guess” should not be used in scientific communities.
The concept of terms that cannot be used in a scientific context should be more widely known. Terms such as “fact”, “true”, “prove”, “proven”, or “guess” are not acceptable to be used within a chemistry classroom setting (which acts as a manifestation of the science world), and therefore are not acceptable to be used in the science community and world. Each of these terms have different definitions and different reasons for why they are prohibited within science. Each term also has different consequences if they are used. These consequences can hurt the user of the terms in different ways: the use of the terms could damage the credibility of the user, they could damage the perception of the user, and they could completely misportray the meaning that the user was attempting to convey. Each of these terms have replacements that can be used instead which are correct and convey the actual meaning of what the user was trying to say.
You may ask, why would those terms be unacceptable? If you complete an experiment and come to a conclusion about what has happened, haven’t you “proven” something? Or, if you are making a conjecture or an inference, is that not the same thing as “guessing”? Firstly, I will address the terms “fact”, “true”, “prove”, and “proven”. While these are tied to “guess”, they have a few different reasons for being prohibited from use. Within science, ideas are always being built upon and are everchanging. One day we could have an idea that we all accept as an explanation for something, but tomorrow a different idea could supplant it. Therefore, no idea or concept within science can be considered “fact” or “truth” because that suggests a definitiveness that cannot be changed or debunked. This also means that a concept cannot be “proven” because that would mean that the concept was beyond doubt and therefore could not be disproven. Not many people know or understand this, but it is essential that they do. Using these words creates an image of the user that is not educated or learned in scientific diction or descriptive language.
Instead of using this incorrect language, there are other words that are more accurate and that should be used. In place of “true” use “widely accepted”, instead of saying that something has been “proven”, say that the “data supports” it, and instead of “fact” use “data” or “observation”. These alternatives provide for doubt in your argument and are not definitive; they allow for more data or experiments to disprove or supplant your argument. Using the word “guess” also creates problems in science. According to the definition of “guess”, a “guess” must be made without sufficient information, however, when someone uses the word “guess” in science, they usually mean that their guess is based on some data or an experiment. So, in that case, the word “guess” is not the correct word to use. A more appropriate word choice would be to “extrapolate” or to “infer”. These words make sense because, when used, it means that you are going off of recorded data and experiments that have built up to the inference or extrapolation. Many people make the mistake of using these words, thus undermining their arguments and intellect, which is why the appropriate words should be more widely known.
You may ask, why would those terms be unacceptable? If you complete an experiment and come to a conclusion about what has happened, haven’t you “proven” something? Or, if you are making a conjecture or an inference, is that not the same thing as “guessing”? Firstly, I will address the terms “fact”, “true”, “prove”, and “proven”. While these are tied to “guess”, they have a few different reasons for being prohibited from use. Within science, ideas are always being built upon and are everchanging. One day we could have an idea that we all accept as an explanation for something, but tomorrow a different idea could supplant it. Therefore, no idea or concept within science can be considered “fact” or “truth” because that suggests a definitiveness that cannot be changed or debunked. This also means that a concept cannot be “proven” because that would mean that the concept was beyond doubt and therefore could not be disproven. Not many people know or understand this, but it is essential that they do. Using these words creates an image of the user that is not educated or learned in scientific diction or descriptive language.
Instead of using this incorrect language, there are other words that are more accurate and that should be used. In place of “true” use “widely accepted”, instead of saying that something has been “proven”, say that the “data supports” it, and instead of “fact” use “data” or “observation”. These alternatives provide for doubt in your argument and are not definitive; they allow for more data or experiments to disprove or supplant your argument. Using the word “guess” also creates problems in science. According to the definition of “guess”, a “guess” must be made without sufficient information, however, when someone uses the word “guess” in science, they usually mean that their guess is based on some data or an experiment. So, in that case, the word “guess” is not the correct word to use. A more appropriate word choice would be to “extrapolate” or to “infer”. These words make sense because, when used, it means that you are going off of recorded data and experiments that have built up to the inference or extrapolation. Many people make the mistake of using these words, thus undermining their arguments and intellect, which is why the appropriate words should be more widely known.
